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For many observers, the present situation should be well beyond the point of the raised eyebrow. It should be glaringly apparent that the amount of gold presently claimed to be in storage in the world’s banks is (to a greater or lesser extent) overstated.

The most interesting part of this story is that she is not required to renounce, Switzerland and the US allow dual citizenship. It was her choice to renounce, and that choice has serious costs – but benefits that outweigh them.

If you follow International Man regularly, you’re familiar with the range of justifications for multi-flagging and strategies to accomplish global diversification. Passport from one country, income from another and property in yet another is a rule of thumb which informs much of the IM community’s thought and action. Less frequently discussed though are motivations for, and benefits of similarly diversifying your business.

The “welcome mat” is different in each country. As the First World devolves, we will see a steady increase in people seeking asylum in countries other than their birth country. Interestingly, many people who are making their first major move overseas overlook one of the most critical criteria – the attitude and mindset of the local people.

Like individuals and businesses, countries are also at competition with one another to capture the constant migration of foreign capital and productive people. That’s why the U.S. offers generous tax breaks for foreign investors. And why most Caribbean islands don’t tax foreign income at all. And why Spain, Greece, and Latvia offer immediate residency to those who purchase a qualifying property.

Like individuals and businesses, countries are also at competition with one another to capture the constant migration of foreign capital and productive people. That’s why the U.S. offers generous tax breaks for foreign investors. And why most Caribbean islands don’t tax foreign income at all. And why Spain, Greece, and Latvia offer immediate residency to those who purchase a qualifying property.

In Latin America there are very few discount airlines that service the region. Most flights in South America will cost you an arm and a leg, unless you know the ways to minimize your travel costs in the region.

Politicians, the world over, are forever seeking justification to raise taxes. One clever approach to justifying a tax increase is the modern claim by politicians that one group or another must pay its “fair share.” The magic of this term lies in the implication that, somehow, until now, the group in question has not been paying its fair share.

You are technically a slave when 100% of the fruits of your labor is taxed or otherwise confiscated by force. For some people in France, it is dangerously approaching that threshold and causing them to renounce their citizenship. Gerard Depardieu is literally the concept of “capital flight” personified.

Since the land of the free and home of the brave isn’t looking so free or brave these days, a lot of rational, educated, and inspired people have been deciding to look for greener pastures abroad and parts of Latin America and Asia seem to the preferred locales. In Latin America, Panama, Ecuador, Uruguay, and Chile have been attracting the most attention.

Since the land of the free and home of the brave isn’t looking so free or brave these days, a lot of rational, educated, and inspired people have been deciding to look for greener pastures abroad and parts of Latin America and Asia seem to the preferred locales. In Latin America, Panama, Ecuador, Uruguay, and Chile have been attracting the most attention.

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke famously gave a speech in 2002 suggesting that if there is deflation, it may be cured simply by dumping new currency from helicopters. The comment was so unnerving that much of the rest of the speech failed to generate much discussion, yet, in it, Mr. Bernanke revealed other points from his philosophy on dealing with deflation that most certainly deserved review.

The HSBC debacle provides another striking example of the political risk and double standards that exist within US jurisdiction. HSBC execs got off with no criminal charges for the victimless “crimes” of money-laundering and doing business with countries the US doesn’t like. “Crimes” that likely would have landed anyone else in prison for decades.

If we have a brief look back at the Great Depression, what essentially led up to it, then triggered it, we may see some similarities to our present situation. If we then observe how the world’s governments dealt with the situation, we may possibly gain some insight as to what they will do this time and, more importantly, what the outcome may be this time.